Starting point mini for plastic Mandrake kitbash?

[Lysimachus]

Hey all, I've been thinking about possibilities for my next Kill Team, and I keep coming back to Drukhari.

I'd like to include Kabalites, Incubi and Mandrakes, but I try to stick to plastic where i can. Obvs that means converting the Mandrakes, which is fine but i need a base to work from.

I was wondering about the Ur-Ghuls from BSF, maybe converted like so:

Excuse the crummy drawing skills, but hopefully it gets the idea across? So using Sylvaneth Tree Revenant heads, Wych knife hands, then GS to do a skin/cloth skirt and ethereal flame in the other hand.

Would this work at all? I know the Urghul are quite twisted/deformed but I think that could be quite fitting for Mandrakes?

Also, I'm not sure if the scale of the UrGhul next to Kabalites/Incubi would be right, does anyone have both that they could take a side by side pic for scale?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Lysimachus

[WarriorFish]

I was wondering what this topic was about from the title I haven't unboxed my Ur-Ghuls yet, but I will do so if nobody else has a comparison handy. My gut says they're not quite the same proportions/size but that may be off due to the stance and is probably fine especially with adjustments.

 

Anyway, this is a very good idea that had never crossed my mind. It would only need some basic sculpting work too, the bale fire and building up hair a bit should be simple and offer lots of variety. Looking forward to this, keep us updated on the progress so we can watch them come together

[Lysimachus]

:P Edited the title for clarity!

Thanks, yeah I've seen others use the Sylvaneth heads so stealing that idea, but I didn't like the bodies they used? The Urghuls just seemed to fit the style for Mandrakes, especially the fluff that says they might be half eldar, half daemon hybrids...

I've already ordered the heads, but I was waiting to check the scale was right before I get the bodies? I've seen pics of Urghuls next to other BSF baddies obvs, but not next to the Drukhari stuff (and the scale of BSF to regular 40k minis can be a bit weird anyway e.g. the Eldar Ranger is super tall compared to the rest of the Eldar plastics!)

If you can snap a shot of a plastic Urghul next to newer Kabalite or Incubi, that would be awesome, cheers WF!

Edit: Never mind WF (thanks for offering though!) was just having another look and found this pic:

They look about right to me, maybe re-angle the neck so they're not so hunched and a touch taller...?

[WarriorFish]

I agree, by raising the head to a more upright position a bit and giving them a higher waist when adding the robes this should give a nicer proportion for them. Their legs look a little short for a Mandrake and I reckon this would make them suitably different from the origin model such that it most probably wouldn't realise?

[Lysimachus]

Little update on this, managed to eBay a couple of Urghuls so once they're here I'll get the GS out. Did also find the following pic which has further encouraged me that it will work as a conversion:

(Pic censored by me, just in case, as he's 'anatomically correct'!)

The sculptor is much, much better than me, but I'm pretty sure I can get a good enough result, plus the robes and long hair will cover a lot:

Another quick question: I've got a couple of Wych knives for them, but I've also picked up a box of plastic Incubi that has the separated demi klaives spare. So I could give the 2 mandrakes either a knife or a shortened klaive each, any thoughts on which would look better as Glimmersteel Blades?

[WarriorFish]

I think both weapons would work. I had to do some replacement on my Mandrakes (finecast) and I subbed in some Wyche weapons and they look natural fits. A shortened klaive would work just as well; so long as they look mean that's the important thing!

[Lysimachus]

So, took a few days to get bits glued and he'd, but I'm really quite happy with the result:

I quite like the odd, hunched and elongated look that the Ur-Ghul base provides, I think once they're painted shadowy black they will look suitably spooky and warped?

As you can see, I went with the Incubi weapons. The wych hands were a tad small, and I quite liked the fore arm guards, made them feel more Drukhari? Think maybe I'll paint them to match the Kabalites armour to show their (temporary) allegiance?

[WarriorFish]

Nice work, I think they really came out well too. I think they'll come together even more when painted up, I think they're pretty decent on the table top too. Or at least they were when I last looked, I'll get round to my second squad at some point.

[ThePenitentOne]

These look great!

 

I used to do Kendo, so I love the standard Mandrake hakama- they resonate with me personally.

 

But objectively, your models are at least as good, and actually better by virtue of being plastic.

[Lysimachus]

Thanks guys!

@ThePenitentOne: yeah, I like the japanese style of the failcast ones, although I never really understood how it fitted in with the rest of the DE range?

Admittedly the usual benefit of kits in plastic is a bit more variety in poses, which you don't get with these guys as there are only 2 Urghuls! But for me, 2 is plenty as I'm only putting together a Kill Team!

Speaking of which, I thought I'd post here a wip shot showing the first coat of paint on said KT:

Really happy with the red, its Flesh Tearer Contrast over drybrushed Leadbelcher and a lighter drybrush of Mithril Silver (I own some truly old pots of paint...), it was super quick to do but I think works so well on the more textured Drukhari?

[WarriorFish]

There's been a small Japanese twist, like many GW things they're a mish mash of several influences. The back banner is a nice one in particular as a hark back to 2nd :P

 

The detail and contours etc on the armour is great for washes, helps you get more with less :) I'm thinking about trying a Contrast or two on my mercenary forces so this is good to see :tu: